Closing the Distance
by Honniing
Summary: Naruto has always been watching Sasuke from afar, admiring him, just like all the other fanboys and -girls. Suddenly the raven approaches Naruto and the two end up on a group-project together. How will they work together? Will they do more than just homework during their hours together? Warning; will contain some making out, and deep feels. NarutoXSasuke
1. Chapter 1: Closing the Distance

**Hey there, I hope you enjoy reading!**

"Naruto, stop daydreaming!" Iruka yells at me, and I sigh.

"Hai, hai, Iruka-sensei." I say dutifully. I was indeed daydreaming. I was daydreaming about the one person that never ceases to amaze me. Just when you think he can't get any more popular another loser confesses his endless love for him, and is brutally turned down.

 _Idiots…_

I may have more than a platonic interest in the guy, but I'm not stupid enough to believe he has secretly had a crush on me too, like seriously, get real. The most popular kid in school would never be interested in someone like me. A relationship between him and me would barely be acceptable anyhow, even if he ever were to return my feelings, which won't happen. It kind of hurts to think about it, but I am so used to it now it has become nothing more than a dull ache deep in my chest.

Still, no one can deny me admiring him from a distance. I glance at Sasuke's back; despite his petite form he is taller than me. We used to be about the same height when we were younger but at some point he out-grew me.

That's right, I've been watching the guy for years; ridiculous right?

Something deep inside me just refuses to let go. I've tried to make these stupid feelings go away, I've even tried dating women. I've only learnt one thing from my time with different girls; on the inside they're all the same; they are all just as hopeless as I am…

I flip slowly through my sketchbook looking at my own drawings. Of course, almost all of them are of Sasuke. Not that anyone needs to know that.

"…to? Naruto?"

"Huh?" I look up at… _Sasuke?_ Why is Sasuke talking to me? How does he even know my name? Oh, that's right Iruka yelled at me earlier, but still…

"What are those?" He says pointing. I follow his gaze to my own sketchbook, panic, and slam it shut.

"Just some doodles." I say, trying to sound casual.

"Did I see a drawing of me?" He asks. Oh God, how embarrassing.

"Well, I have sketched various classmates and students around campus… I think I can remember drawing you sometime; let me see…" I say. I lift my sketchbook of the desk, flipping desperately through it trying to find a drawing where Sasuke is actually wearing clothes. "Ah, look, I found it." Thank god…

"You're good." Sasuke says, studying the drawing carefully.

"Thanks." I say, rubbing the back of my head, fighting away the blush creeping up my neck. I can barely believe Sasuke is praising me! Or my drawing anyhow, but still, this is the longest conversation I've ever had with the raven. Actually, it's the only conversation I've ever had with the raven, but who's keeping count, right?

"Can I see some more of your drawings?" He asks, already in the process of turning to the next page, where I know there is a picture of a very naked Sasuke Uchiha waiting. My eyes widen in shock as I try to figure out what to do or say.

"NO!" I exclaim, slamming my palm down on the book, stopping his motion.

"Oh." He says, looking at me weirdly. I take the book from him cautiously and close it without a word.

"Sorry, I don't think they are any good..." I say without looking at him. I know I fucked things up; there is no way he is ever going to want to talk to me again. There is an awkward silence between us for a few minutes until the bell rings.

"Well, see ya." He says casually. He stands from his seat in on the row in front of me, grabs his bag and leave.

"See ya…" I say, although he's long gone already. I feel excited and disappointed at the same time. Sasuke Uchiha actually realizes that I exist, and I just made a fool out of myself and quite possible insulted him at the same time. The thought is absolutely horrifying. After this he'll surely notice if I can't keep my act together. One prolonged stare is all it would take to have the rumours floating all around school. Either that or he won't look at me ever again. That could happen too.

I sigh as I stand from my seat. Slowly I put my books into my bag and throw it across my shoulder. I walk down the crowded corridor, keeping my head low, avoiding looking at the people around me.

I don't really have any friends. I prefer things that way; I spent most of my time daydreaming about Sasuke anyhow, so having friends would just be a bother.

No one would like to be friends with me, even if I did want friends, either way. As usual people whispers excitedly to each other all around me as I pass by. I'm the orphan. The one whose parents died in a freak accident when I was younger.

I'm used to people talking about me behind my back, so it doesn't really bother me much. It's natural to be curious about such a freak accident…

My parents were murdered at home, in their own beds. I was home too when it happened, but for some reason the killer let me live. For a short period people were talking about how I had conspired with the killer, but that rumour was soon quenched by the realization of how much of an airhead I am. Everyone thinks I'm too stupid to conspire about anything, let alone murdering my own parents.

They are probably right too.

"Sasuke, is that true?" Some girl asks excitedly. My ears perks at Sasuke's name as usual. It seems I have some sort of inner radar reacting to anything that has got anything to do with the raven.

"Basically yeah." Sasuke answers. I feel curious. What could he be talking about? I move my gaze from the floor to where Sasuke's and that girl's voice is coming from.

Sasuke is surrounded by people, I recognize a few of them, but most of them are unfamiliar to me. The girl who spoke is the pink-haired Sakura, she's been fawning after Sasuke for as long as I can remember. I can't help but admire her; she's never given up, even after Sasuke rejected her two years ago.

I also recognize one of the other girls; Ino. She has long light blonde hair. She also had a huge crush on Sasuke. Ino however, in contrast to Sakura, seemed to grow out of her feelings, she even found herself a boyfriend. Shikamaru he was called. Naruto liked Shikamaru; he was one of the few people who had talked to Naruto, and from what he gathered Shikamaru was insanely smart too.

Then there was Hinata. Naruto felt bad every time he saw her. Hinata had had the most intense crush of them all, but not on Sasuke; on Naruto. Naruto had noticed of course, and proceeded to promptly ignore the girls' very existence. If that had been all then maybe Naruto wouldn't feel so bad, however he had done more than just that.

The year before had been excruciatingly boring, and Naruto had wanted some sort of distraction from his stupid emotions… What better distraction than a girl, right?

So he had chosen the easiest one to get; namely Hinata. She had been so happy, and Naruto had had his fun, until he couldn't stand pretending to like the girl anymore, so he broke up with her.

She had been devastated. All because Naruto couldn't keep himself under control.

"Hey Ino do you think…?" Sakura asks, sending Ino a knowing look.

"Maybe… Hey, Sasuke, listen carefully." Ino says. Then she leans close to Sasuke, whispering something in his ear. I feel my cheeks heating up; I can't stand watching anyone else being so close to Sasuke.

I stuff my hands in my pockets and continue my lonely walk down the hallway, out of the school and eventually I am home.

I look around my apartment. It's far too large for just one person. I walk slowly to my room and allow myself to fall down onto my king-sized bed.

 _Sasuke noticed me today, and I managed to fuck it up._ I think. I feel devastated, almost as if a close friend just died. Before today there had always been that faint chance, now there is absolutely no chances for anything to happen between Sasuke and me anymore. Not even a mere friendship. All of this because I am a fucking idiot.

-x-

The next day passes by in a blur; I walk between classes with my head bowed down as usual. The whispering seem more intense than usual though, but it's not like I'm about to ask anyone why that is. It might just be my imagination anyway; having Sasuke talk to me yesterday was disturbing, to say the least. I nearly forgot to put on pants before I left my apartment this morning…

I walk into the classroom, preparing for the last lesson of the day and sit down by one of the desks at the back. I pull the appropriate books out of my bag, just as I've been doing all day for my various classes. Then Sasuke walks into the classroom and I sigh.

Nobody should be allowed to be that beautiful.

"Hi" He says, looking at… me?! _What? What do I do?_

"Eh, hi." I say awkwardly. _Smooth Naruto, really smooth._ I think to myself, mentally face palming.

"Mind if I sit next to you?" He asks. _Oh god, yes please…_

"Sure." I say, trying desperately not to sound too eager. I'm not sure how well I succeed because the two girls sitting in front of us suddenly start giggling.

"Cool." He says casually, then he sits down. Next to me. Naruto Uzumaki. The biggest loser in the entire fucking school. And _the_ Sasuke Uchiha is sitting next to me. For real.

The entire day up to this point did really pass by in a blur, however right now it's like time is moving in slow motion. And it is excruciating.

Am I supposed to pay attention to class? I think I am. I also think that even if I put in my best effort I wouldn't be able to.

"Pssst, wanna pair with me?" Sasuke whispers to me all of a sudden.

What? Pair? Is it a trick? What does he mean?

"Naruto? I asked if you wanted to pair with me, you know, on the group project?" He repeated hesitatingly.

 _Oh... OH!_ "Yes, I mean sure, I don't mind." I say. _Am I blushing? I hope not._

"Thanks." He says and I frown. _Thanks? For what? He can't actually be_ that _happy to pair with me?_

As soon as the teacher dismisses class almost every student in the room stands up from their seats and rush towards Sasuke. It seems everyone wants to pair with him. Sasuke repeats how he already has a partner for the group project, and one after the other the students walk away, all with various degrees of defeated looks on their faces.

"You sure are popular." I say, grinning at Sasuke. I don't really understand why he'd chose me as his partner for the group project, but I am more than just a little bit happy about it. Maybe it was the easiest solution seeing as how I was sitting next to him. I'm sure that's it; I was just conveniently there.

"I suppose…" He says. Something in his eyes makes my stomach lurch; he just seems so unhappy. I wonder why he would be unhappy about being popular. I'd give almost anything to be popular, for people to talk about how amazing I am, instead of how stupid I am. If I was popular maybe Sasuke would like me…

"Anyway, when's the project supposed to be done?" I ask, trying to lift the mood a little. Somehow things got all dark and gloomy all of a sudden. I don't like dark and gloomy.

"Monday." _Eh? But that means…_

"Where will we do the work then?" I ask stupidly.

"My place, or yours, whichever you prefer." He says, sounding _way_ to casual. _Oh my god how in the world did things become like this, just the other day I was sure Sasuke didn't even know who I am._

"I don't really care." I say, trying to sound as casual as Sasuke seemed to be about the whole thing. I am _not_ casual about this.

"My place then." He says. I can't help but grin like an idiot. I am trying not to though. I'm just not succeeding right now.

I'm not the only one hopelessly in love with Sasuke; nobody can blame me for being happy the super popular guy wants to work with this project with _me._ Out of all our classmates he chose me.

-x-

"Naruto! Pay attention please!" Sasuke yells at me. It seems I space out… _again._ Staring at those beautiful lips as he talks is more fascination than one would think.

"Uhhh, I don't get this…" I say, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly.

"That-" Sasuke says, again those pretty pink lips capture my gaze; oh how I want to kiss them. "Is obvious." He says, dead serious, and my grin fades.

I sigh. I need to do some work or else I'm sure he'll hate me by the end of the weekend, I don't really want that.

"I'm sorry, I have trouble paying attention, academic stuff just gets to boring, but if we need any drawings or illustrations I can do those?" I say. Drawing is easy, that is something I'm confident I can do properly.

"Sure, there are a few things you can draw, I intended to find pictures online for illustrative purposes, but we may get bonus points if it's something we drew ourselves." Sasuke says. He scribbles down a short list stuff he wants me to draw. Then he gives me the paper and I read through it.

"This'll be a piece of cake." I say confidently. I pull my sketchbook and penal out of my bag, and proceed to draw. I love drawing. I love how I can completely shut out the rest of the world in favour of my pencil and paper. I love how I _create_ something. I start with a blank page, and then I turn it into something beautiful.

I finish one drawing after the other, barely paying any attention to Sasuke until suddenly

 _*groooowl~*_ My stomach growls loudly.

Sasuke looks at me, a hint of a smile playing at his lips. How embarrassing…

"Hungry?" He asks humorously.

"I suppose, maybe just a little…?" I say quietly, blushing madly.

"Let's take a break then, we don't need to finish tonight, we still have tomorrow and Sunday." Sasuke says and I nod stupidly. I get to have Sasuke all to myself the entire weekend? This has to be a dream.

"What do you want to eat?" He asks.

"Pizza." I say without thinking. _Why did I say that? That's so stupid._ "Or whatever you want to eat, it doesn't really matter." I try to cover up my silly request.

"I'll order some pizza then." He says simply and I relax. He didn't think my suggestion was stupid or something.

"Cool." I say. "So, what do we do while we wait?

"Watch TV?" He suggests.

"Sounds good to me." _Yes please, sitting together in a sofa, watching TV, I like the idea._

"I'll get some lemonade or something, the TV is in my bedroom, but I never sit in my living room when I watch TV; so I moved it. It's the door opposite the bathroom; you remember where that is right?" He says while opening the fridge, probably looking for something to drink.

"Yeah." I confirm before I walk towards the bathroom. Sasuke showed me the way earlier, and although his house is pretty large, especially for someone living alone, I still remember where it is.

I open the door opposite the bathroom as he had explained and is met by a surprisingly cosy room. I had expected it to be as cold and stylish as everything else is, but his room was a lot smaller than I expected, and the bed had a lot more pillows than I expected and… the room was just cosy.

After finding such a cosy little room the next thing I realize shocks me even more; Sasuke doesn't really have a sofa. The only thing in front of the TV is his bed. Are we going to sit together on his _bed?_

"What are you standing there for, sit down." Sasuke says from behind me and I yelp. I had not heard him approaching. I walk over to his bed and sit down hesitatingly.

-x-

I groan sleepily and shiver. I'm cold so I snuggle closer into the warmth next to me. I think back at how Sasuke and I were watching TV together; it was so much fun. We joked and laughed, and after a while the pizza arrived. I can't remember to have ever tasted such a good pizza before, though it might have been because Sasuke was there.

Then we continued watching TV, both to full and lazy to continue our work. After that…

 _When did I go home? Did I even go home?_

Slowly I crack one eye open, looking at the warm thing I'm snuggling into. _What is Sasuke doing in my arms? And what am I doing in his room?_

Suddenly the full impact of the situation hits me and I scramble backwards, falling out of the bed.

"Ouch!" I say, looking down at myself. Thank god; I'm still wearing clothes.

"Naruto…" _eh? Was that Sasuke?_ I look at the raven.

"Sasuke? Are you awake?" I ask carefully.

No response. _Did Sasuke just moan my name in his sleep?_

"Mhmm… No, stop, not so fast."

I stare in shock at the sleeping figure _. Is he really asleep? Is this a trick? Why would Sasuke say something like that, awake or asleep?_

"Sasuke?" I try again, a bit more forcefully this time. Sasuke has to be awake, he would never have that kind of dream about me. If it even is _that_ kind of dream… For all I know he could be dreaming about something entirely different, like, me and him as surgeons, and he is telling me not to cut the patient so fast with the scalpel because the patient will begin bleeding too much, or something like that. _That's way more likely right? Right._

I slowly crawl over to Sasuke and touch his shoulder lightly, intending to wake him up, but as soon as I touch him, he turns around towards me, and grab my torso, snuggling into my chest.

"Sasuke!" I say loudly, feeling my face heat up. I can't allow him to do stuff like that, I really can't handle it, even if he's not doing it on purpose.

"Huh…?" He says groggily. _Dear god give me strength, his morning voice is too sexy…_

"You were asleep, and then you sort of grabbed me, and, well, now I can't go anywhere." I say meekly.

"Ah, sorry. My bad." He says, then his hands slide down my back and over my ass slowly before he lets go.

Fuck.

 _That was too sensual you idiot look what you did! Actually don't look! I'd rather not have you find out what you do to me, please don't look!_ I scream inside my head. Having Sasuke touch me in such a sensual way really turned me on.

"Naruto?" Sasuke says with a smirk.

"Yeah?" I ask nervously.

"Had a nice dream?" He asks. Of course he looked.

"Uh, I suppose." I say hesitatingly. _Has he realized? Or does he think I dreamt about Sakura or Ino or something like that?_ I did date Hinata, so there is no reason to think I'm attracted to guys.

"I think I'll sleep for a bit longer." He says and then he draws his blanket all the way up to his ear, closing his eyes.

"Sure, I'll go find myself some breakfast if that's ok with you?" I say.

"Sure, help yourself." He says slowly, clearly about to fall asleep.

I walk hurriedly out of the bedroom, closing the door carefully behind me. I'm wondering why Sasuke didn't wake me and tell me to go home last night. _Maybe he fell asleep at same time as me? And why didn't he react more violently to waking up next to me? Maybe he was too sleepy to truly realize what happened?_

I make myself a simple sandwich for breakfast, and eat it slowly, thinking intensively about what just happened. What did it all mean?

"Don't hurt yourself." Sasuke says, flicking his finger at my forehead.

"Wha-?" I ask in confusion.

"Oh no, it just looked like hard work, I thought you might sprain a brain-cell or something, thinking so hard." Sasuke says humorously and I scowl.

"I'm not that stupid you know?" I say sourly. I am _not_ a morning-person, and being mocked so early is not something I appreciate, even if it is Sasuke.

"Whatever you say." He answers playfully.

"I'm warning you, I'll seriously beat the living shit out of you if you continue being such a dick." I say threateningly.

"Oho, are we a little grumpy this morning princess?" He says with a smirk and I snap.

I throw him to the ground. I straddle his hips and begin throwing punches at him. He manages to block most of my punches, the ones he can't block he twist away from, effectively managing not to get hit, despite being pinned to the ground. _He's good._ I think, still managing to be impressed in my current state.

As soon as the thought hits me he grab my wrists and throw me off him, reversing our positions. Crap, I got distracted.

Even if he's taller than me he's still lighter, and I know I'm stronger, so it's not difficult to get loose. I thrust my hips upwards, making him fall forward, then I place my hands on his shoulders and throw him off me, then I stand up, readying myself for my next attack. Sasuke merely takes on a defensive position; he doesn't seem too keen on fighting.

I look around the room, wondering if there's anything I can use to immobilize the bastard, but instead I find something I definitely did not expect to see lying casually on the table; My own sketchbook.

It's lying open on one of the pages where I've drawn a very realistic-looking Sasuke without any clothes. Well, to be fair, as realistic as I could ever hope to draw him without actually having seen him like that before. I know for a fact that I put the sketchbook into my bag before we went to Sasuke's room to watch TV last night, and the only other person here is Sasuke...

"You done already?" Sasuke asks in surprise. I don't answer.

"Hey what are you-" He seem to have realized what I'm looking at because he stops himself halfway through his sentence. "oh." He says quietly.

"I was just curious about your drawings; you're really good you know." He says quietly. I tear my gaze away from my own drawing and look down. Now he knows that I lied the day before yesterday, about the sketchbook, and he would have to be an idiot not to figure out my feelings for him…

"Naruto are you… are you gay?" He asks carefully. _This is so embarrassing…_

I don't answer, I merely walk slowly over to the sketchbook and pick it up. I look down at the picture in an attempt to distract myself. It doesn't work very well.

"Am I… attractive?" He asks hesitatingly, and I look up at him in surprise; there's something in his voice, I don't know quite what it is, but it almost sounds like insecurity. I stare at him for what feels like several minutes.

"I suppose you are." I say monotonously. A feeling of dread has long since settled in my stomach, and I feel resigned to my fate. There is no point in trying to save face now, he definitely knows already, and by Monday, the whole school will know. I can only hope people will not start bullying me…

Sasuke looks down at his own body, lifting his shirt, studying his hands, feeling his face. _What in the hell is he doing? Has he gone mad?_

"I've always thought of myself as a bit too skinny." He says finally _. What game is he playing? Does he want me to compliment him further? In that case I won't._

"You're a bit skinny yeah, maybe your body hasn't caught up with your growth spurt." I suggest.

"Maybe." He says looking at me. _Why is he looking at me in that way? Is he trying to read my mind? Understand what I'm thinking? It's not exactly difficult is it? It shouldn't be._

"Your body does have a lot of shadows though; it makes you easy to draw." I say. An idea suddenly entered my mind; maybe I can save myself after all.

"Really?" He asks in surprise, it seems I completely caught him off guard with my last statement. He doesn't really seem too convinced though.

"Yeah, like your hipbones for example, they are really prominent, they cast such a clear shadow, it's easy to get down on paper compared to, say, a girl, they are so round and smooth, it makes it so much harder to make the drawing look life-like. Not that I have seen your hip boned all that often, just… sometimes when you stretch, and you are wearing a shorter T-shirt, a part of your stomach becomes visible…" I trail off. I don't really know where I am going with my explanation.

"I suppose… I'm not really good at drawing and stuff, so I wouldn't really know." He says, shrugging.

"All it takes is a lot of practice and I'm sure you'll become good, if you're ever interested that is." I say, smiling encouragingly at him.

"Cool. Don't know if I have enough patience though." He says. I laugh quietly. I feel a bit more relaxed now. Sasuke seem intent on letting the subject of me liking boys and him go without digging further.

Sasuke giggles a little bit and I shut up at once, staring at him.

"What?" He says in surprise.

"Nothing, it's just that I've never heard you laugh before." I say truthfully. All the years of watching Sasuke Uchiha from the shadows I've never heard him laugh; not once.

"I don't laugh." He deadpanned.

"You just did." I say, grinning mischievously at him.

"Did not!" He says stubbornly, a pink hue colouring his cheeks. _Sasuke Uchiha is actually blushing!_

"Did too!" I say, dodging an apple being thrown my way. "Is that the best you can do?" I say mockingly.

Suddenly all sorts of cutlery, foods and drinks come flying in my direction, and I flee into the living room, laughing loudly.

"Come back here Naruto!" Sasuke yells, chasing after me.

"No way!" I say, fleeing to his bedroom.

"Naruto! Open the door!" He yells, banging at the door.

"You promise not to kill me?" I ask, giggling.

"Naruto…" Sasuke says.

"Yeah?" I ask innocently, walking quietly over to his closet.

"Let me in. Now." He says threateningly. I don't answer, I don't want him to know I've moved away from the door. After a few minutes he opens the door slowly, finally realizing that I wasn't blocking it anymore.

"Naruto…?" He asks in confusion. While Sasuke was standing outside the room I opened the window wide open, then I hid in his closet, making it look like I jumped out of the window.

"He can't have jumped...? We're on the second floor…" Sasuke says in wonder, walking over to the window. Just as Sasuke is about to lean out the window to look out I jump out of the closet, yelling loudly. Sasuke jumps in surprise, letting out a cute little sound. I almost "aww" at him, but manage to control myself; that would be like sprinkling salt in the metaphorical wound in his pride.

"Gotcha!" I say.

"Naruto you little-!" Sasuke doesn't seem to know what to call me, and I grin.

"Cat got your tongue?" I ask mockingly, enjoying our play-fighting.

This time Sasuke is the one charging me. He literally throws himself at me, sending us flying backwards. I close my eyes, expecting a hard landing, however it never happens. It seems we landed on Sasukes bed.

I open my eyes slowly, looking into Sasukes pitch black eyes. I wonder what he's look like with a different eye colour. _Maybe blue? Or brown?_

Nah, neither of those would suit him. _Maybe red?_ Red would be an interesting colour; it would be a nice contrast to his black hair and pale skin. I reach towards Sasukes face, gently caressing his cheek, feeling the silky consistency, allowing my fingers to slide down and along his jawline. I run my thumb carefully over his bottom lip. Sasuke is still looking at me, not showing any trace of emotion. It's like his pitch black eyes are piercing my very soul. Sasuke leans down his soft lips touching mine.

I don't really think about anything, because this just feels so right. He starts moving his lips against mine, hesitatingly at first, then more eagerly. I reach up around his torso and pull him down so that he is lying flat on top of me. Sasuke pulls back a little a looks at me, his entire being is radiating with lust. I gently comb is bangs away from his face, feeling his smooth hair slip through my fingers like water.

Suddenly the phone rings, and it's like we're both snapped out of some sort of trance. He gets off me as fast as he can and I sit up pushing myself away from him. Sasuke takes a few steps away from the bed before he pulls his cell phone out of his back-pocket and answers it.

 _What have I done? If I haven't made things obvious before, then clearly he knows now. Then again, he was the one who kissed me. Does that mean he likes me? Or was he testing me? I don't get it._

I halfway pay attention to Sasukes phone call, wondering who could have called at such a golden hour, saving Sasuke and me from making a huge mistake. Because that's what it would have been; a mistake. Even if there is even the slightest feelings of attraction towards me there is no way he could have truly fallen in love with me since the day before yesterday. There is absolutely no way he loves me. Then again, he probably isn't attracted to me at all. It could be that he is curious, maybe he thinks he is gay but has never tested it out before?

"I'm busy." Sasuke says sourly into the phone.

"Yeah I am."

"No."

"Not yet."

"I said not yet. Tomorrow or something, ok?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Yes, I will."

"Sure, Bye." Sasuke says then he hangs up. It's weird hearing only half a conversation, and it is poking my curiosity vigorously.

"Who were you talking to?" I ask. Sasuke looks at me for a long time without saying anything. There is something in his eyes which makes me feel uncomfortable, and I'm just about to say something to break the rather tense silence, but Sasuke beats me to it.

"No one important. You ate right? Let's get the assignment done." He says coldly, then he walks out of the room.

What was that all about? Why is he suddenly so cold towards me? Probably because of the kiss… I knew it was a mistake, he must really regret it. I am the biggest loser in school. And I'm a guy. Who'd wanna kiss a guy? Except for girls that is? Gay people. Sasuke is not gay, the kiss proably proved that to him. Heck, I don't really know if I'm gay; I've never liked another guy before, just… him.

Sasuke and I work in silence. Several times I try to say something, but something makes me change my mind every time.

After three hours Sasuke finally says something.

"Naruto…?" He says carefully.

"Hm?" I perk up; Sasuke talked to me.

"Do you… I mean did you sleep well?" _What sort of question is that? If I didn't know any better I'd think he changed his mind halfway through the question. Maybe he did? Maybe he actually wants to get me out of the house? I suppose it would be uncomfortable to be in the same room as me after… everything._

"Uhhh, yeah. Your bed is really comfy." I answer quietly, shrugging. He doesn't say anything else, and we continue working on our assignment in silence.

After one more hour of work Sasuke say something again.

"Food?" He asks.

"Sure." I answer.

"I'll be back soon." He says, then he walks into the kitchen. A few minutes later he is back with two plates, each with a tasty-looking sandwich on.

"Here." He says, giving me one plate.

I sigh; it seems he's decided to completely distance himself from me all of a sudden. I shouldn't expect anything else; in his head I probably seduced him or something. I let my guard down, and all of a sudden Sasuke hates me…

I supposed him and me even being friends would be too good to be true…

The two of us eats in silence. When we're done with our food we continue working on our project.

The next time we get hungry the same thing repeats itself; Sasuke asks me if I'm hungry, I say yes, he makes some food for us both and we eat in silence. When we have eaten all our food we continue working again. And that's how the rest of the day passes by.

"Woah, it's half past eleven already, I need to get home." I say suddenly, when I realize how late it's gotten. Sasuke looks at me for a long time, seeming to contemplate something.

"You could camp here tonight?" He suggests, his expression unreadable.

"Really?" I ask in surprise. I'd gotten the impression that Sasuke wanted to get the project over with as fast as possible, and then get me out. Then again, if I stay over we can start working early in the morning, and probably finish up before twelve, then he'll have the rest of the day to himself. That's probably it, isn't it?

"Yeah." He says casually.

"Ok." I say. I want to say "no thanks" and go home, just to ruin his stupid plan, but something makes me decide not to. I suppose I'm just too weak to say no to Sasuke. "I'll take the sofa then." I say.

"It's not really that comfy, you take the bed." He says, and I frown; that's awfully kind of him.

"But where will you sleep?" I ask in confusion. _What is he be playing at?_ Sasuke merely shrugs.

"Wanna borrow some clothes? And maybe the shower?" He ask kindly. _What is he doing? Why is he so overly friendly all of a sudden after being icy cold all day? What has gotten into his head?_

"Sure…" I say sceptically, wondering if it all is some sort of cruel prank.

-x-

I groan sleepily and shiver. I'm cold so I snuggle closer into the warmth next to me. I frown. It all seems so similar… Suddenly I realize what is happening, and once I again I shuffle backwards, falling clumsily out of the bed.

"Sasuke!" I exclaim in surprise. Yesterday evening I had showered and borrowed some clothes from Sasuke, then I went to bed _alone._

Sasuke rolls over so that he is facing me. He opens his gorgeous eyes and looks at me.

"If you wanted the bed you could have just told me so…" I say hesitatingly.

"Didn't want to wake you." He says sleepily, stretching his entire body. He reminds me of a cat, a damn sexy cat that is.

"But…" I begin, but have no clue what to say _. Sasuke just got into bed with me while I slept? Willingly? What is going on?_

"Besides, I realized the other night that you're really comfy to sleep with." He says. _What? Is this real? Or is it just one of my dreams? This can't possibly be real… can it?_

Sasuke reaches his hand forwards, grabbing my arm gently.

"Come back?" He asks innocently.

I can't help but comply, even if it's all a trick, which it probably is, I just can't resist him.

I climb back into the bed and lay down awkwardly next to Sasuke. He looks at me thoughtfully before he scoots closer, draping a leg and an arm over me, resting his head gently on my shoulder.

"You're warm…" He says. I merely nod dumbfounded. _How am I supposed to react in such a situation? What am I supposed to do and say? What kind of situation is this either way? Some sort of friendly cuddle? Or something more?_

I look down at Sasuke's face and smile fondly; he's already fallen back asleep. Despite his unapproachable appearance he is surprisingly childlike.

I gently wrap my arms around him, pulling him a bit closer to myself. I decide not to think too much about things, and just go with the flow. I don't really think he could really like me, that is still too far-fetched, but maybe he actually could become my friend?

Sasuke and I lay like that for hours. I keep falling asleep, but every time I fall asleep I wake up only a few minutes later, only to check if it all was a dream or if Sasuke Uchiha really is sleeping soundly in my arms. Every time I wake up that tiny feeling of hope that ignited earlier grows slightly. _Maybe Sasuke could actually grow to like me?_

 _No._ I forcefully remind myself. _There is no way. I have already fucked up so much, it's ridiculous. He has proven again and again that he doesn't like me._

The thought hurts. I thought I had become used to it, but somehow this weekend has torn open old wounds, making them hurt as if this heartbreak is new to me, which it definitely isn't.

"Are you crying?" Sasuke asks, sounding slightly concerned. I didn't even notice when he woke up. _Am I?_ I realise that I am indeed crying. I rub my cheeks harshly, wiping away my tears.

"No." I lie, looking away from Sasuke.

"Liar." He says. "Are you sad about something?"

"No." I say. I look back at Sasuke and I force myself to smile. It tears at my heart like nothing else to pretend not to like Sasuke like this, but I know it is my only option. It takes everything I have not to begin crying in earnest.

"Good." He says, although he doesn't seem to be completely convinced he finally leaves the subject.

"Can I…" He begins saying something after having stared at me for a few minutes, but then he shuts up.

"What?" I ask curiously, forcing my voice to sound normal. _If I keep pretending to be ok it will become real._ I tell myself mentally.

"No nothing…" Sasuke says, looking away from me. If I didn't know any better I would think he was embarrassed, but there was no way that could be the case. _I wonder what he wants…?_

"No seriously, what?" I say, I am almost starting to feel worried. Sasuke is behaving very un-Sasuke like.

"Can I kiss you again?" He asks carefully and I stare at him, mouth agape.

"Yes." I say, feeling out of breath all of a sudden. I don't care that I sound stupid and head over heels in love when I speak that one word, I only care about Sasuke. And that Sasuke wants to kiss me. He wants to be close to me. And maybe, just maybe, that feeling of hope is not completely unreasonable.

He stretches towards me and presses his lips gently against mine. Our position makes kissing a bit awkward, so push him gently to his back and climb on top of him. I'm afraid of taking control of the situation, in fear of scaring him away, but I don't know what else to do.

He looks at me expectantly and I smirk mischievously while feeling relived on the inside. I lean down, but instead of kissing him I start sucking and biting at his neck, making a huge, red mark.

"What did you do that for?" Sasuke asks. He is looking at me, his mouth half open. He is squirming slightly beneath me.

Oh god. Does he even realize how sexy he sounds and look right now?

I don't answer him; I merely dive down, capturing his lips in a hungry kiss.

Suddenly the phone rings and we freeze. I feel myself getting anxious. Is he going to become cold and distant like the day before? I climb off of Sasuke and sit down on the bed next to him, allowing him to answer his phone. I fiddle with the hem of the T-shirt Sasuke lent me. There is a huge lump in my throat, and I feel like crying again. This weekend has been so contradictory and confusing I don't even know what to think anymore.

"Yes?" His voice sounds annoyed. Annoyed at what though? Me? The person who called? Maybe even himself for doing something as disgusting as kissing a loser like me? No matter how you look at it he _did_ ask for it, but that doesn't mean he can't regret it…

"No."

"I said no."

"I promised?"

"But-"

"Yeah, I know, but-"

"I can't do that."

"Why? Because… well. I don't know…"

"Ok ok, fine, whatever, just, shut up."

"Now?!"

"But-"

"Yeah yeah, I'll do it. Bye."

Sasuke puts his phone down on the matters next to himself and looks at me.

"Naruto?" He asks hesitatingly.

"Yeah?" He doesn't sound as cold as yesterday, he seems more unsure right now. I wonder why. I wonder who he talked to, and what that person said. It seems like the other person wants Sasuke to do something he doesn't want to do. I wonder why he doesn't just refuse to do it. _How hard can it be?_

"Uhm, this might seem like a bit of weird question. Or maybe not weird, but a bit sudden? I don't know… Do you like me?" He asks and I frown. Of course I like him, but in what way does he mean? Maybe I should just go with the safe answer.

"Of course I like you Sasuke, you're really cool." I say sheepishly, grinning at him. I see his face fall slightly before he stiffens up again; it was clearly not the type of answer he wanted.

"I mean, do you _like_ me? As in like-like… as in… do you love me?" He asks. There is something in his eyes, in the way he is looking at me… It's as if he's silently pleading for the right answer, but what is the right answer? I feel a growing feeling of discomfort in the bottom of my stomach, something doesn't feel right.

 **HELP!**

 **So you probably see where this is going already? I want to post two separate chapters that end the story in different ways. So I realise that the rules state that interactive entries such as, and I quote: "choose your adventure, second person/you based, Q &As, and etc.". Sooo. Would posting one chapter where Naruto says "yes", and one chapter where he says "no" be against the rules? Would it count as a "choose your adventure"-type of story if it only has these three chapters, and that's it? How would I do it if I want to post the second ending and it turns out that I can't do it the way I originally planned? Post it as a separate story? If anyone knows then **_**please**_ **help me!**


	2. Chapter 2: Yes

**Together we concluded that posting two alternate endings would not be breaking the rules. :)**

 **So, this is how the story goes when Naruto says "Yes" to Sasuke.**

…

Sasuke puts his phone down on the mattress next to himself and looks at me.

"Naruto?" He asks hesitatingly.

"Yeah?" He doesn't sound as cold as yesterday, he seems more unsure right now. I wonder why. I wonder who he talked to, and what that person said. It seems like the other person wants Sasuke to do something he doesn't want to do. I wonder why he doesn't just refuse to do it. _How hard can it be?_

"Uhm, this might seem like a bit of weird question. Or maybe not weird, but a bit sudden? I don't know… Do you like me?" He asks and I frown. Of course I like him, but in what way does he mean? Maybe I should just go with the safe answer.

"Of course I like you Sasuke, you're really cool." I say sheepishly, grinning at him. I see his face fall slightly before he stiffens up again; it was clearly not the type of answer he wanted.

"I mean, do you _like_ me? As in like-like… as in… do you love me?" He asks. There is something in his eyes, in the way he is looking at me… It's as if he's silently pleading for the right answer, but what is the right answer? I feel a growing feeling of discomfort in the bottom of my stomach, something doesn't feel right.

Of course I love Sasuke, that should be obvious by now, so why is he asking? Is he unsure? Is he insecure like me? Or does he not want me to love him? Maybe he just has a small crush on me, and wants it to go away? Maybe he thinks that if I reject him he'll get over me and can go back to being his completely straight, popular self again? Or maybe there is something else entirely?

I sigh; there is no point in guessing.

"Yeah, I love you. I have for some time now." I say earnestly.

Sasuke's face falls and he looks… disappointed? Sad? _What is that expression?_

He sits like that for a few moments, in complete silence, seemingly struggling with something. Finally he picks up his phone again, holding it against his ear.

"There you have it, _Sakura_ , happy?" He says coldly. I hardly notice how acidic his voice became as he pronounced Sakuras name. The only thing I can think about is that he tricked me. The entire weekend has all been a trick. I feel dizzy and nauseous.

"No." I whisper I disbelief.

"They heard…" He says blandly, confirming what I already knew; it had all been a trap.

It hurts. It feels like my heart is shattering into a thousand pieces all at once.

It was all just a game.

Everything he said and did was pretence, to make me admit my feelings to him. And now they know. Now everyone knows.

I stand up from the bed in hurry.

I hear Sasuke's voice yelling from behind me, but I'm already on my way out of his house. I can't hear what he's saying, but he's probably mocking me; calling me names.

I run.

-x-

 _How did things become like this…?_

I'm running. Twigs and bushes tear at my clothes. I feel my breath catch in my throat. I'm exhausted… I've been running for a while now.

 _How could someone do something like that…?_

The tears running down my cheeks, the sweat trickling from my forehead, the rapid pounding of my heart, my laboured breathing, my chest… it all hurts.

 _How could someone be so cruel…?_

I've been running for so long. A minute? An hour? A day? How much time has passed by already?

 _How could someone tear someone's hear t out so brutally…?_

I can't run anymore. I let my body collapse, falling to the ground.

I claw at the ground, grabbing handfuls of grass and leaves. I want to dig a hole, only to climb down and disappear.

I stop my ridiculous clawing. I know I can't dig such a large hole with my hands.

 _What am I supposed to do…?_

I sit up on my knees, looking down at myself; My clothes are torn to pieces, it's a miracle they're still clinging so desperately to my body.

I clutch my head, trying to make the painful thoughts go away.

I scream.

I clutch my hair, nearly ripping it out; and I scream.

I scream my anger and sorrow at the sky. I scream until my throat go sore and I'm unable to make a sound. I scream until my chest hurts more than ever before. I scream until the pale blue sky starts turning dark. I scream until darkness takes completely over. I scream until I can't scream anymore.

I'm shaking so bad. I can barely move my limbs anymore.

 _Am I going to die here…?_

I let myself fall backwards. The dark sky is dotted with numerous stars. I start counting.

For every star I count it all feels more and more like a dream.

Pale porcelain skin, hands carefully caressing that skin, feeling the silky consistency. Black onyx eyes, staring into my own, piercing my soul. Soft pink lips, moving against mine. Raven black hair, easily allowing my fingers to slip through it as I comb it gently.

 _That's right; such a thing could never be real…_

I close my eyes slowly, feeling my consciousness slip away.

I awaken slowly, tentatively feeling my body. Everything seems to be fine except my throat; my throat hurts...

It feels like I'm lying in a soft bed covered in warm blankets. _How nice, I wonder who would do such a thing for me?_

"Naruto...?" An oh-so-familiar voice calls my name gently; I shiver and tense at the sound. If I pretend to still be asleep he'll have to leave me alone eventually... _right...?_

"Naruto, please... I know you can hear me." I hear the pain and heartbreak in his voice and the tiniest part of me feels sorry for him. I open my eyes and turn my head towards his voice. I stare at him, feeling empty on the inside, like my heart's been ripped out. I wait. He seems to realize I have no intention of speaking for he sighs and avert his gaze.

A sudden thought hits me and the tiniest spark of anger flares in my chest before it whisks away, as if it was never even there.

 _What right does he have to be hurt? He is the one who hurt_ me.

"It doesn't matter you know... that they know." He says tentatively.

All of a sudden my insides flare like a roaring fire; I haven't felt such intense anger before in my life.

"How dare you?" I whisper, lacing my words with all the malice I can muster.

Sasuke cringe when I speak. The satisfaction I feel at hurting him with my words is so brief I wonder if I ever actually felt it.

"They..." He begins but his words falter. I snort and turn my gaze towards the ceiling.

 _Pathetic..._ I think.

"You did this." I say softly, feeling tears run down my cheeks. _Haven't I cried enough already?_

"I didn't want to..." He says feebly. I snort again. _How did I ever come to love such a weak person I wonder...?_

"But you did." I say.

"Dammit Naruto! None of this would have happened if-" Sasuke bursts out, but I cut him short.

"If what? Huh? If I didn't love you? If I didn't seduce you against your will? If _what?"_ I spit, glaring at the raven, daring him to complete his sentence.

"Listen, I couldn't help it? Don't you get it? They'll make me their punching bag the moment I stop doing whatever they want me to." He explains, the desperation in his voice obvious.

"And therefore it is ok to ruin someone else's life?" I say venomously. _How does he think he can possibly justify his actions?_

"I was going to tell you before they called, I just couldn't bring myself to-"

"Did I really look that pathetic and hopelessly in love to you?" I ask angrily.

"No, that's not what I-"

"Than what do you mean, _Sasuke?"_

"I just wanted to spend a little more time with you before I told you. I knew that when I did you would-"

"Be hurt and not want to talk to you again? Damn straight-"

"Can you stop interrupting me for fucks sake?!" Sasuke suddenly bursts out. I stare at him for a moment. It almost feels as if he just slapped me. "Thank you. I _wanted_ to spend time with you Naruto." He says, putting emphasis on "wanted" as if that is supposed to tell me anything.

"And?" I can tell that he is becoming progressively more frustrated with every word I speak, and somehow I derive this strange satisfaction from his frustration.

"This is all really new to me. I really, really like you Naruto. I think I may even love you…" He says quietly, looking away. I can hear a trace of defiance in his voice, and can clearly see a blush creep up his neck. My hard expression falters for a moment.

 _What...?_

"Yeah right." I say. I don't believe him. This is another trick.

 _Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me..._

"Naruto please... Believe me..." He says, looking at me. I can clearly hear the pleading in his voice and he has the same look as yesterday; like he's trying to convey something words can't. As if he's trying to tell me something without speaking.

"Even if I believed you it's too late, don't you get it? You've used your chance." I say. I hesitate a. _do I really mean that?_

Sasuke looks at me for a long moment, and then he seems to decide on something. He rises from his chair and walks over to the bed; to me. He looks deep into my eyes before he slowly bends down and presses his lips to mine. I keep completely still. Even as he moves back I don't move a muscle.

"I love you Naruto... I really, really do." He says. I can tell he means it, even after what he did to me.

"What are you going to do about it?" I ask. He falters.

"I don't know." He answers honestly.

"Of course you don't." I say. My insides are like a whirlwind of emotions, all of them pulling towards different directions, different outcomes.

 _He hurt me... I want to hurt him..._

 _He's lying... I want to get away from him..._

 _He loves me... I want to be with him..._

 _He... He is Sasuke..._

"Why...?" I whisper, tears running freely down my cheeks again Sasuke's eyes widen in surprise. He looks desperately around the room, clearly not sure of what to do. Does he think something in the room will give him the answer...?

Sasuke looks down at me again. He leans down and sneaks his arms under me, pulling me into a tight hug.

"Please Naruto. I love you. I think I might have had something more than a platonic interest in you for a while, I just... didn't want to..." He says.

I hear his voice cracking, and feel warm tears against my neck.

Sasuke Uchiha is actually crying... For me. Because he hurt me like no one else ever could have. Because he broke my heart, and now' he's desperately trying to assemble what's left of the pieces.

Sasuke Uchiha is crying because he loves me.

I slowly reach up and wrap my arms around him.

He jolts slightly in surprise, and a small smile pull on my lips for the briefest of moments.

I am still crying; I am so scared.

 _Can I really trust him? Is he really telling me the truth? Does he deserve my love? What if he decides I'm not worth it after all, and throws me aside? Will I be able to stand another rejection?_

"You're shaking." He says quietly.

I don't answer. I don't know what there is to say.

 _Am I really going to accept his feelings? To give him another chance? Just like that?_

I'm crying in earnest now, sobs racking my body and burning my already sore throat.

Sasuke sits on the bed next to me and pulls me into his embrace, forcing me to sit with him. Then he starts rocking me back and forth, humming some random melody I've never heard before. I imagine a tiny Sasuke in the arms of his mother while she is humming the same melody for him.

I don't know how long we stay like that, but it feels like an eternity before I manage to calm down.

"I'm sorry. What I did was cruel..." He says, burying his face in my hair.

"It's not really ok..." I croak, wincing as I speak. My throat feels like sandpaper.

"I know. I don't expect forgiveness, even though I desire it..." He says.

I'm suddenly reminded of a time when I was young. I owned a beautiful glass bird; it was the most precious thing I'd ever owned. It had been a gift from my mom. One day when I was playing in my room I knocked it of the shelf by accident and it shattered into a thousand unrecognizable pieces. I had wanted to fix it so badly, never wanting to ruin it in the first place; however, nothing could mend it once it was broken.

"I'm not glass." I whisper quietly.

Sasuke is quiet for a long while. I wonder if he is contemplating my words or if he just didn't hear me.

"I don't understand..." He says after several minutes; I was almost certain he hadn't heard me when he spoke. I smile briefly; he didn't need to understand.

"I forgive you." I say.

Sasuke gasps.

 _Heh. I Caught him off guard with that one..._

"Really?" He says breathlessly.

"Really." I confirm. I'm still scared; more scared than I've ever been in my entire life, but maybe it's ok to be scared? Maybe I'm even supposed to be?

Sasuke hugs me tighter to his chest.

"I love you Naruto... I love you so much." He says. I can't tell whether he's laughing or crying, maybe a bit of both?

"I love you too Sasuke."

 **So. There's that. I was intending to have some deep meaningful related message here at the bottom, but I don't think there's any point. I believe people are able to understand what I'm getting at purely by reading the story. Your actions has consequences people, remember that!**

 **Leave a review or PM me if you liked it, hated it, want to comment on it or have any questions.**


	3. Chapter 3: No

**This is how the story goes when Naruto says "No" to Sasuke.**

…

Sasuke puts his phone down on the mattress next to himself and looks at me.

"Naruto?" He asks hesitatingly.

"Yeah?" He doesn't sound as cold as yesterday, he seems more unsure right now. I wonder why. I wonder who he talked to, and what that person said. It seems like the other person wants Sasuke to do something he doesn't want to do. I wonder why he doesn't just refuse to do it. How hard can it be?

"Uhm, this might seem like a bit of a weird question. Or maybe not weird, but a bit sudden? I don't know… Do you like me?" He asks and I frown. Of course I like him, but in what way does he mean? Maybe I should just go with the safe answer.

"Of course I like you Sasuke, you're really cool." I say sheepishly, grinning at him. I see his face fall slightly before he stiffens up again; it was clearly not the type of answer he wanted.

"I mean, do you like me? As in like-like… as in… do you love me?" He asks. There is something in his eyes, in the way he is looking at me… It's as if he's silently pleading for the right answer, but what is the right answer? I feel a growing feeling of discomfort in the bottom of my stomach; something doesn't feel right.

Of course I love Sasuke, that should be obvious by now, so why is he asking? Is he unsure? Is he insecure like me? Or does he not want me to love him? Maybe he just has a small crush on me, and wants it to go away? Maybe he thinks that if I reject him he'll get over me and can go back to being his completely straight, popular self again? Or maybe there is something else entirely?

 _That's it isn't it? That's what the person on the phone wants him to do right?_

Suddenly I feel numb. It has all been a trick. I draw a deep breath, forcing my voice not to crack when I answer.

"What? No! Of course not, sorry if I have mislead you, but you aren't really my type. I don't do skin and bones." I say, not feeling the slightest bit apologetic; I even feel satisfied with the insult I managed to sneak in there.

I can't tell from his expression whether or not the answer I gave him is the one he wanted, because as soon as I start speaking his pleading look disappears, and once again his expression becomes completely stoic.

He sits completely still for a few seconds before he picks up his phone again.

"Well, there you have it. I guess you were wrong Sakura." He says monotonously, and my heart drop. _I was right…_ He hangs up and puts the phone down without looking at me.

I'm not sure if I want to cry or yell at him, but somehow he looks so… _pitiful._ Like I just broke his heart. But that can't be it right? He is the one who just broke my heart, even though he may not know it.

I stand up and stay there for a moment, on the floor, facing Sasuke, trying to figure out something to say. In the end I come up with nothing reasonable.

"Well. I think I should leave." I say awkwardly, then I start walking towards the door. I know I am supposed to feel a myriad of conflicting emotions right now, and in a way I do, they just feel so distant. It feels like nothing really matters. I open the door slowly. Before I have opened the door fully Sasuke's hand shoots forward over my shoulder, pushing the door shut again with more force than I would have guessed he was capable of. I didn't hear when he got out of the bed and caught up with me, but don't really feel impressed either.

"What?" I say. I had intended for my voice to come out neutral, like Sasuke's perfected stoic façade, however I ended up spitting the word out with more than just a little malice.

"What? I could ask you the same. Are you just going to leave?" He seems mad too. _What the heck is he mad about? I have done_ nothing _wrong._

"Why the fuck would I stay?!" I turn around to look Sasuke in the eyes, wanting to make it very clear that I have nothing more to do here. I have, however, not taken into account how close he must be standing to reach the door from behind me, and thus I am quite taken aback as my face suddenly is only inches away from his.

"Because you haven't let me explain yet." He says, suddenly his voice and stance seem guarded, as if ready to defend himself. _What does he think of me? Does he really expect me to attack him?_

"Don't bother, I get it. Just let me leave." I say. I don't want to fight Sasuke, I just want to get away from him.

"No." He says stubbornly, taking a forceful step towards me, forcing me to back up until I hit the door. He lifts his other hand and places it on the other side of my head, effectively pinning me in place.

"I don't feel like listening to your poor excuses." I say acridly. _Does he really think I am going to forgive him?_

"Really? Then what about this?" I don't have time to react, let alone realise what he is doing before he presses his lips against mine in a forceful kiss. His movements are harsh and challenging, daring me to push him off. And I do.

I gather my strength and shove his chest. I watch him stagger back a few steps, feeling a slight satisfaction as I walk after him. This time I am forcing him back, towards the bed. _You asked for it._

"You want to kiss me? Fine. I'll fucking kiss you." I say aggressively. I push him down onto the bed. I grab his wrists with one hand and pull them over his head. Sasuke starts struggling against my hold, but he is not nearly strong enough to push me off himself in this position. I look at him without actually seeing him, I am too blinded by my emotions to think straight, if I weren't I would probably have left long ago. Instead I kiss him. I pour all my anger and disappointment into the kiss. I run my free hand down his body and up again. I grab his hair tightly, only to release it again. I run my fingertips down the back of his head towards his neck, over his shoulder and across his collarbone. I bite his lip harshly. The salty taste of blood tells me that I broke the skin on his lip. I pull slightly back and begin biting his neck, leaving angry red teeth-marks. I move back to his mouth and kiss him again. I force my tongue into his mouth, exploring every little crevice I can reach.

When Sasuke finally stops struggling and relaxes into my kiss, I stop. I release him and get up from the bed. I spare a moment to look at him as he lay there, his eyes half-closed, breathing heavily.

"Had a nice dream?" I say mockingly. Something deep inside me is screaming at me not to treat the person I love so badly, but my anger took over long ago, and it clearly doesn't care about love.

"It wasn't really a dream." Sasuke says, sitting up in the bed. The way he looks at me, like he is pleading me not to go, makes my anger fade away just a little bit. Enough for me to think more rationally again.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have done that." I say, I can't really make my voice sound as apologetic as I would like, but I decide that in the current situation I don't really have to be kind to him anyway, so it's ok.

"I didn't mind it." Sasuke say, his voice slightly breathless. _Wait, what?_

"You seemed pretty keen on getting away to me." I say sceptically.

"I like it when you kiss me." He says. Lying back down on the bed again, hugging his own torso. _Has he officially gone mad? What is he playing at?_

"I am trying really hard to be mad at you, but you are making me so confused I'm honestly not sure how to react." I say, trying to wrap my head around Sasuke's actions.

"It's not really that hard to understand." He says, looking at me. His voice and expression seem sincere, but I already know that he is an excellent actor.

"Ok hold on; let me get this straight, unless I misunderstood something, you seriously expect me to believe that you have some sort of feelings for me? Is that it? If so then what the hell was those phone calls about?" I say, crossing my arms. _What is he playing at?_

"That wasn't me, it was the others. They told me I had to do it." Sasuke says quietly. Suddenly he looks five years younger and terribly weak and sad. I can't help but want to believe him, despite his ridiculous excuse. _I've loved him for way too long, haven't I? I can't even stay mad at him when he has clearly wronged me._

"So just because _they,_ Sakura and the rest of the gang I presume, told you to- what exactly? Find out if I love you? You felt like you _had_ to?" I ask. I still don't want to openly admit to him that I do love him; all of this could be a continued act to make me slip up. At this point I wouldn't put it past him.

"Yes, I told them about your sketchbook and they thought that maybe you were in love with me, and they wanted to know if you were or not. And I thought it would be fun…" Sasuke trail of.

"You thought it would be _fun_ to give people a reason to _really_ start bullying me? You do know that they would probably start beating me up, destroy my stuff and just generally make my life a living hell, as if it isn't bad enough as it is?" I say. _Hasn't he thought about this? He can't be_ that _short-sighted._

"Well, maybe not _fun_ per se, but I though it would be nice to spend time with you… I didn't really have that much choice, you know. They would have done all of that to me if I didn't…" He says quietly. He looks ashamed. _Good. He deserves it._

"Well that's not my problem is it?" I say, though with little conviction. The fight has disappeared completely in me now. "Do you like me Sasuke?" I ask, feeling tired and old. I don't know what kind of answer to expect anymore, the only person who'd ever be able to throw me for a loop, did just that, and I'm left feeling as if I've been shoved into a washing machine, washed on 60 degrees, then been hung out in a tornado to dry.

"I do like you Naruto… I really, really do… I think I may even love you." He says sincerely, meeting my gaze steadily despite the apparent blush creeping up his neck.

"What?" I deadpan; it was _not_ the answer I had expected. _He can't be serious, can he? How is that even possible? Is this a trick, just to make me forgive him? Or is he serious?_

"I said I really like you Naruto." He says, a trace of what sounds like defiance in his voice.

"Yes I heard you. Do you really expect me to believe that? After you very nearly ruined my life?" I ask.

"I… maybe?" He says. Somehow I can tell that means it. He really does like me. Suddenly I feel dizzy as the full impact of the situation hit me. _Sasuke actually likes me._

I take one shaky step towards the bed and sit down on the edge, shaking my head carefully in an attempt to clear my thoughts.

 _Can I really trust him? what does all of this mean? What are we supposed to do now?_

"Naruto…? Are you ok?" Sasuke asks carefully, laying a hand on my shoulder.

"Do you mean it?" I ask, looking at Sasuke pleadingly. It's like all of the anger and numbness I have experienced up till this point has been blown away. All that is left is the sad and insecure me, who has admired Sasuke for so long, I can't even remember when it all began.

"Why would I lie?" Sasuke says. He seems taken aback by my sudden change in behaviour.

"I love you Sasuke." I say earnestly, realizing that I haven't really told him yet. Sasuke's eyes widen for a moment, as if he hadn't been sure whether it was true or not up until this point. He seems at a loss about what to do for a moment, until he decides to lean in and kiss me again. This time the kiss is gentle and loving, and it makes me feel as if I'll never need anything else in the world, ever again.

I can't bring myself to doubt him anymore, even though I know I should be careful. This just feels too _right._

Sasuke pulls back an inch.

"Please forgive me." Sasuke says. His voice suddenly sounds so feeble I feel my heart clench.

"There is nothing to forgive; it turned out ok in the end, right?" I say, resting my forehead against his.

"I suppose…" He says, looking down into his lap. He is clearly not convinced by my words. I can't help but chuckle.

"What?" Sasuke says defensively.

"Bastard. Even after everything you did to me you still have the guts to be sad and insecure." I say with a smirk.

"Don't call me that!" He says sourly and my smirk turns into a grin. I didn't notice quite when it happened but the conversation has suddenly become completely relaxed. The tense atmosphere disappeared along with my ill feelings towards Sasuke.

"Hey Naruto…?" He says after a moment of silence.

"What?" I ask, looking into his deep black eyes.

"I love you too." He says earnestly. It feels as if my heart does a funny summersault at his words, and I can't help but grinning like an idiot.

"Kiss me then, idiot."

"Moron."

" _Your_ moron."

"..."

"And I'm your idiot."

"Damn straight you are."

 **Well, that's it. I purposely made Naruto's behaviour a bit different from the alternate ending because I felt that when he said yes he sort of "exposed himself", and felt a lot more hurt and vulnerable than when he said "no".**


End file.
